Recovery
by Starskulls
Summary: 'SEQUEL TO TORTURED' From nightmares to being sick with fear, Jack is suffering from the haunting tasks that Pitch Black had forced him to do to save his friends. When Pitch rises again with a plan that will challenge the Guardians like never before, will Jack be able to overcome his fear and bring down Pitch for good with the power that he never knew he had?
1. Chapter 1: Memories

**Okay, here is the sequel to Tortured! I really hope this gets as many reviews as Tortured did! So I think you can guess how this story is gonna go by the title but with a few extra surprises along the way. Like Pitch will be punished by being… Gah! I have said too much! Where is that duct tape? Oh yeah, cupcakes to all! Ah here it is! Okay, on with the chapter and I hope it pleases you! *gets duct tape and sticks it over mouth***

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It was now the middle of Winter and Christmas was coming. Not only that, the Guardians had all been called for a meeting about the progress of their believers. In Canada, a certain Bunny was racing through the lands and he was looking over his shoulder as if something was after him.

The land was icy which didn't make it very easy for the Pooka but he picked up his pace as he felt a strong brush of wind slice at his heels. His lungs were bursting with energy as he raced further and the icy touch was killing his feet. Time for a short cut! Bunny slid to a halt and tapped on the ground so a tunnel appeared. Another howl made him look up in a panic as he then retreated down his hole and to the Pole.

"Come on, you can't be caught out!" Bunny said to himself as he was getting close to his destination. Finally reaching his goal after five minutes, Bunny burst up through the surface to come with the familiar sight of the yeti's in the workshop. Bunny felt victorious but when then dismayed to feel the icy touch wrap around him. "Not again" Bunny said looking up at the globe.

There on the top, was the Winter spirit Jack Frost with a few snowflakes falling around him. "Yep, again! You're slacking Kangaroo!" Jack said and Bunny growled at the nickname.

Bunny's shoulder's slumped and North came out of his office followed by Sandy and Tooth. "Jack beat you again? That is the fifth time this month!" North exclaimed in amusement as he watched Jack slip down off the globe and landing on his feet.

"He still has a bad shoulder so why does he keep beating me? It must be luck" Bunny said looking at Jack who laughed.

It had been five months since the… incident and Jack had made good progress. His broken leg had healed, his other leg was better but sometimes it did jinx a bit. The bruise from his head had gone, his stomach wound had closed up nicely and one of his shoulder's had healed up completely. However, his left shoulder which had been the worst one hadn't healed yet and was still a bit painful but it should be healed in another two months. Jack had coped really well but he hadn't said anything for three weeks but now he was back to being mischievous once again.

"Luck has nothing to do with it" Jack said cockily but he winced a little when his shoulder burned. North saw this immediately.

"Jack, are you okay?" he asked and Jack nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he said although he was really lying. It had been burning a lot lately which was odd since his other wounds were fine.

North looked as if he didn't believe him but if it happened again, he would have answers. "Well! I have made special cake for us all and no elf has touched it" North said with a promising look.

Sandy rubbed his hands together eagerly, Tooth and Bunny smiled warmly and Jack did too. He felt like eating something with a bit of sweetness. North led them all to his office where the big fruitcake sat with no elf in sight.

Jack always loved North's workshop since it was full of cool toys and Bunny was admiring them too. Tooth got some plates from the cupboard and Sandy crafted some dream sand chairs. Jack watched patiently and North let out a booming laugh.

"Okay, who wants first piece?" he asked and Sandy stuck his hand up in the air eagerly as did Bunny. Jack was about to stick his hand up until North pulled a sharp knife from the draw. The sunlight that shone through the window made the knife gleam as if it was mocking Jack.

Slice the blade deeply across your shoulder…

Pitch's voice vibrated through Jack's head as he recalled of his first deadly task.

Simple as that…

The word 'simple' seemed to be laughing at Jack for he knew that the task wasn't simple. Even though he wasn't here, Pitch's voice was taunting him, mocking him.

The pain of the injury burned into his skull and it spread down his body and he suddenly felt weak. Pitch was now laughing inside his head and Jack almost screamed out loud to make him shut up. "Uh… I gotta go to the bathroom" Jack said stuttering and before North could say anything else, Jack was out of the door in flash.

Bunny raised an eyebrow, "What's with him?" he asked and Tooth sighed.

"You know what's wrong Bunny. It is his wounds that are playing up" she said and North nodded.

"Tooth is right. We are here for Jack but he needs his space" North said, not wanting to remember as Jack's screams had been in his head for weeks. Sandy however, wasn't so sure. He felt guilty seeing as the shoulder wound had been for him and it was still hurting. He would make sure Jack got a sweet dream tonight.

Jack, who was now in the toilet, was bending over and being sick. This was happening quite a lot recently and he was getting skinner and skinner by the day. Whenever he tried to eat, it always came back up. The memories were haunting him wherever he went. Whenever he went round the corner of a corridor, whenever he went flying and even sitting on the roof, it was creeping around him.

Jack was trying his best not to cry. He didn't want to feel like this. He wanted to feel free, happy and… normal. He remembered when Pitch had let him and the others go but he didn't get why he hadn't killed them here and then. It didn't make sense. But as he was hurling up more, he had to try and push the thought from his mind. They wouldn't see Pitch again and he wouldn't hurt him anymore.

He couldn't be more wrong.

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**So how was it? Was it okay for the first chapter? I had such a bad writer's block when I was writing this but thankfully, someone gave me a really good tip to get rid of the writer's block. I swear, writer's block is a curse. A CURSE I TELL YOU! **

**Oh E this little message is for you. You said in your review for 'Remember Me' that the Guardian of Cupcakes should have cupcake bombs. Well she actually does if you read the bio about her on my profile and it tells you her name too. I didn't know about the spicy bit so thanks! By the way, do you have a fanfic account? **

**Okay, that it for now so can I have… seven reviews please? Cupcakes to all in the next chapter!**

**~Star**


	2. Chapter 2: Trouble at the Pole

**Hello people! I am so so so sorry I haven't updated this in like ages but I have had a huge writer's block for this. But can I say OMG for this story as I have had 51 reviews for this in one chapter! OMG! Thank you all so much! I haven't got time for review replies this time but I will do them in the next chapter. Enjoy!**

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Far away, down underground, Pitch was circling his lair with an evil grin on his face. He had been keeping an eye on Jack for the past few weeks and the speed of his recovery and everything was going swimmingly.

Jack was healing nicely on the outside but on the inside, Pitch knew that he had destroyed something. Jack was now delicate, easily affected by the slightest shiny object as he had been informed by one of his fearlings about a week ago. But now he had to figure out his next move. He knew that if the Guardians caught sight of him, even the sight of his arm, they would rip him to shreds.

Wait a minute. He didn't need to go to the Pole at all. His smile widened in a cruel and sadist manner as he then made his way into the darkest part of his lair where he always conjured up his darkest and evilest nightmares.

He also remembered that his fearlings had informed him that Jack was still suffering from his shoulder wound. This was perfect. Pitch shut his golden eyes for a moment and concentrated hard and raised his hands so his palms were facing up. A small spark lit in his hands and a current of black sand that had a dark red tinge to it, appeared in his hands.

"Perfect" he said wickedly. He then walked back out from the dark corner and picked up an awkward shaped bottle that was resting on the floor nearby. The black and red sand then floated up and slid itself down into the bottle and Pitch sealed it with a cork.

He then smiled again as he picked it up and placed it in his pocket and then clicked his fingers. A black ripple of sand snaked out from the shadows and spiralled around Pitch. "Let's go and say hello" he said. This wasn't his usual sand that made his horses. Oh no, this sand was strong and more firm. Plus, it had a new ability that even made him a little jumpy! The sand swallowed him up and made its way back into the shadows and to the Pole.

Back at the Pole, North and the others were waiting for Jack to re-enter the room. Sandy was still a little worried about Jack and his sudden run off to the bathroom. Bunny was tapping his foot, "Do you think the kid is okay? Seems a little jumpy" Bunny said and North was a little cross with Bunny at this comment. As much as he hated to remember, did Bunny not remember the suffering or… torture that Jack went through? Even though Jack had been all happy they day he… came back from the dead… he had gone into a silent state for two weeks and refused to come out.

Before North could say anything to Bunny, Jack came back in, mostly relying on his staff to keep his balance but he didn't want the others to see this so he put on a smile. "Hey guys, sorry about that. I had to go" Jack said.

"Too much information there mate" Bunny said with weird eyed glance at the white haired teen who rolled his eyes. A loud growl was then heard and Jack grabbed his stomach in embarrassment.

Tooth was now concerned, "Jack have you been eating okay? What was the last thing you ate?" she asked. Jack recalled eating a corn beef pasty when he visited the United Kingdom and that was a few hours ago but that pasty ended up down the toilet.

"Umm… I ate a pasty! It was quite filling" Jack said. Not a total lie, he thought. Tooth wasn't so sure that Jack was being total truthful and she was about to ask something else but a yeti stormed through the door, looking terrified. It was Phil.

"Phil! What is it?" North asked, expecting it to just be a toy issue but what Phil said next made him leap to his feet. A couple of ornaments flew of North's desk and one of them landed on Bunny's foot. The Pooka hopped on one foot in pain.

"Oi mate, what gives!" he snapped and Jack sniggered; he looked more like a kangaroo, hopping about like that.

What North said next made Tooth clench her fists so hard that they cracked, Sandy formed angry images above his head, Bunny started to growl and Jack nearly passed out.

"Pitch is here" North said.

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**Dun dun dunnnnnn! Pitch is here and what was this sand he made? Sorry it is short by the way but I am quite busy.**

**Take guesses at what the sand is! It's interesting to know what you all think! Give your opinions on this story too, I love getting feeback from you guys! Oh don't forget about my Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons trailer! The link is on my profile and if you watch it I hope you enjoy! Cupcakes to all, and to all in the next chapter if I get eight reviews please! Bye for now!**

**~Star**


	3. Chapter 3: Decoy! Decoy!

**Here we go! I am actually writing this quite late so I am sorry if this seems a little rushed. A few questions were asked about what was in the sand in the last chapter. I am not going to tell you as it will be revealed in the next chapter but let's get this one done first. Cupcakes to all and I hope you enjoy! Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows by the way!**

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Jack's mind was spinning. Pitch? Here? Oh God no. Jack felt quite scared but the others were just plain angry.

"That rat bag! How dare he show his miserable face here?! Why I will rip him to shreds and make him choke on his own blood!" Bunny snarled, pulling out his boomerangs and clenching them so hard, his knuckles cracked loudly.

Jack flinched as the cracking sound recalled them memory of breaking his own leg.

_"You break your leg and you and the Guardians can then go free"_

He leaned on his staff and Tooth saw this. She thought he was worrying about Pitch and not the haunting memories. She fluttered over to him. "Jack sweetie, I want you to stay here while we go out and fight Pitch" she said but Jack found his head shaking.

"No, I won't. I want to fight!" he said and North spoke up but his voice turned serious.

"Jack, if you set sight on Pitch, you will probably go into a state and faint. You are staying here where he cannot touch you" North said and Jack sighed.

"I don't want him to see that I am weak" he protested. At these words, Bunny hopped over to him and placed a paw on his good shoulder.

"Jack you are far from weak. I know you don't want to but remember what you did. You saved us and you fought and beat Death. Remember that. Now you are staying here" Bunny said and Jack felt like cracking a joke at Bunny's kindness and to lighten the mood but he held his tongue and just nodded.

Sandy patted Jack on the back and then quickly retreated out of the door, quickly followed by Tooth and Bunny. North grabbed his swords and just before he left, he turned to look at the white haired teen. "We will be back soon" North said with a smile before going and then closing the door behind him.

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his white hair as the room went silent. He didn't like the silence. It always reminded him when he first became Jack Frost and was alone, unseen and not wanted.

_"Hello?_"

Jack cringed as he heard his own voice and the memory coming back.

_"Can anybody hear me?"_

Jack tightened his grip on his hair as he saw flashing images in his eyes and more voices appeared. After a minute or two, he forced those memories out of his head. They were in the past, Jack thought to himself. I am in the future now.

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Meanwhile, the rest of the Guardians were making their way to the globe room where the yeti had said that Pitch was in. Bunny was cursing like crazy. "I swear, when I get that bloody twit, I will make him pay so badly, he will beg to go to hell!" he said angrily. North stared at him with concerned eyes.

"Bunny, please don't say things like that in front of Jack. I think he got a bit sick from that comment you made" he said and Bunny then felt really stupid. Of course! No wonder Jack felt so woozy!

Finally, the four Guardians reached the Globe room to find a few fearlings scattered around the place but the horses were all looking at the same place. Pitch was up on the Globe with his hands behind his back and was smiling. "Ah old friends, so nice to see you" Pitch said calmly.

Bunny glared daggers at the man as he tried his best not to lash out. "What the hell do you think you're doing here?" he snarled and Pitch pretended to look hurt.

"Oh Bunnymund that is painful. I only wanted to check how my dear little winter spirit is doing" Pitch said and Tooth glared at him in anger.

"He doesn't belong to you! He is part of our family and you are not welcome here! Now get out of here before I punch another tooth out of your dirty little mouth!" Tooth screeched, her wings flapping like crazy. Sandy wasn't suprised at her out-burst; in fact, he joined in by making angry images above his head as did Bunny and North who held their weapons up at Pitch angrily.

Pitch laughed, "Tough talk coming from a bird who collects moldy things from mouths, a big fat man and an old sand bag. I bet littl Jack is healing nicely. Surprising since he did all those things for you and you didn't do anything to help him" he said and at this Tooth snapped. She screamed angrily and flew up at the Nightmare King who instantly slinked back into the shadows. The fearlings all reacted at the fairy attacking their master and ran at the Guardians.

Bunny let out an angry yell and flung his boomerangs in every direction. North ran at a couple of fearlings and sliced their heads off and they reared in pain. Tooth spun like a rocket around the globe; her delicate but sharp wings slipping through the black sand like razor blades. Sandy went straight for Pitch and his golden whips flinged out at Pitch. Sandy was shocked as the Nightmare King didn't attempt to move or fight back. Instead, he let himself get hit in the chest by the whips and to get smashed to the hard stone floor roughly but one of the golden whips was wrapped around Pitch's ankle as not to let him escape.

Sandy smiled triumphantly and turned to the others who had just quickly finished off the fearlings. Bunny put his boomerangs away but the frown never left his face, "That was a little too easy" he commented but Tooth didn't seem that bothered.

"Bunny! Sandy has Pitch!" she said, quickly fluttering over to the fallen man on the floor who was lying on his back, not even trying to get the golden whip off his ankle.

North glared at Pitch as he came over and loomed over him like a giant. The other glared down at him too. "Well Pitch, it's time for a little payback" Tooth said smiling as she had all sorts of things planned for him, starting with knocking more of his ugly teeth out. But to her surprise, Pitch started to laugh. The others looked at each toher in awe and then in annoyance.

"What's so funny?" North questioned and Pitch looked over at Bunny.

"Why do you think it was so easy Bunny?" he asked and Bunny snarled at him but he felt an itch of worry at the back of his head.

"What are you on about you idiot?" Bunny snapped but Pitch laughed again.

"Haven't you heard of a decoy before?!" he shouted and to the Guardians horror, 'Pitch' started to crumble away and eventually became a pile of ash.

Sandy looked confused as did the others. "Why the hell would he do that?" Bunny asked angrily and North folded his arms.

"You only use decoy if you are stalling people" he said and Tooth eyes widened in horror.

"You don't think..." she started but Bunny finished for her.

"Jack!" he shouted and he went back to North's office with the others close behind; cursing themselves for leaving Jack alone.

Jack, who was having a little nap on the couch in the office was completely unaware of the dark shadow sliding into the room. The real Pitch smiled at the sleeping teen before walking over to the door and turning the key in the lock.

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**Okay, I found that last line really creepy for some starnge reason. Please give me your opinions for this chapter in nice long reviews as I love reading your feedback; positive or negative! I hope you liked this and can I get ten reviews for the next chapter! My exams are coming to a close soon so I will have more time to write! Cupcakes await you all soon and bye for now!**

**~Star**


	4. Chapter 4: Infected

**So sorry for the long update but I had a super bad writer's block on this. For good reason! I am getting my GCSe's results next week... But enough of me and more of this! Cupcakes to all and please enjoy!**

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_Five minutes before when the Guardians left the room_

Jack was anxious and he felt useless. He obeyed his orders but he didn't want them to get hurt. His eyes then felt tired and he realized he hadn't had a nap in a while. As much as he hated to, he went to the nearby couch, put his staff on the floor next to the couch and the laid down on the couch.

The couch was quite comfy and its softness eased his shoulder as it was resting nicely on the softness of the couch. He put his arms on his chest and let his heavy eyes close, not knowing the danger that was about to appear to him.

_Present time_

Pitch eyed the teen with his golden eyes and his evil mind was twisted with sadist thoughts as he thought about all the torture he could do to him. But alas, that time was not yet upon him as he had a more sinister plan in mind. One that would either turn into the battle for his frosty life or a battle that would challenge the Guardians like he never could before.

Slowly, he withdrew a knife from his robe and started to walk towards Jack. The sleeping boy had no clue what was about to happen to him, nor would he enjoy it. He then eyed the wound that was still healing and he smiled. Silently and carefully, he pressed the knife onto his hoodie and sliced it up so he could see the bandaged shoulder and managed to not slice Jack's shoulder in the process. He then put the dagger down. Time for the real reason he came here for. Well that and to watch his greatest enemy suffer.

Then reaching into his robe again, he pulled out the bottle and opened it, then pouring the contents onto his left hand. The sandy substance then stuck to the palm of his hand just as he wanted, only then turning his head quickly at the slight movement Jack made. He was beginning to wake up. Not so easily done, Pitch thought.

Jack blinked to get the sleepiness out of eyes, expecting to see Bunny waltzing in with the others, saying how Pitch ran off and they were victorious. What he didn't expect was to see Pitch looming over him. He was about to yell out for help and to reach for his staff but Pitch covered his mouth with his clean hand and pressed his arm down on his throat. "Say one word or even scream, I will rip your throat out! Understand boy?" Pitch hissed.

Jack could only widen his eyes in fear and nod. What was Pitch here for? His fear started to build up as he remembered all the torture that Pitch had put him through. He had never been more scared in his life at that time... and this time.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.

Bunny was first to reach the door and went to open it but found that it was locked. "North! Did you lock this on the way out?" he asked the Russian who came up beside him.

"No I don't believe I did" he replied. Bunny banged on the door.

"Oi Frostbite open up!" he yelled but of course Jack didn't answer.

"Maybe he went to sleep?" Tooth suggested but Bunny shook his head.

"With the Nightmares here? I doubt it" Bunny said with a scoff.

Now Sandy was of course ignored in this discussion as nobody was able to hear him, he rolled his eyes but as he did so, he noticed something at the bottom of the door. Kneeling further down, he ran his little hand at the bottom of the door, hoping what he saw and felt was dust. Lifting his hand back up, his worries were confirmed. It was none other than nightmare sand and that only meant one thing and why Jack wasn't opening the locked door. Pitch was in there with him.

Tooth had now noticed what Sandy was looking at, "Sandy... is that?" she whispered.

"What is it Shelia?" Bunny asked but then it felt as if a rock had been dropped in his stomach as Sandy held up his hand so everyone could see the black sand. Sandy didn't need to make images at what he meant because North shouted it for him.

"Pitch?! Open this door immediately!" he bellowed but Bunny wasn't in the mood for waiting. He started to kick the door with his big feet to break the door down, with the other Guardians at the ready for when he came out.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Pitch looked around at the door, smiling as the sand he had quickly placed around the edges of the door. It had helped make it more firmer and it would take a while for that door to be broken down. Enough time at least. "Now Jack, I know you must being going through a tough time after our last encounter?" Pitch asked but all Jack could do was blink in terror. Pitch chuckled, "Well after this little encounter, the road for you will be even harder than the first" he said, his voice rolling over like silk. Now the fear was getting to Jack's head and he was starting to lose consciousness which was what Pitch wanted as he didn't want Jack to see what he was going to do or it would ruin everything.

As soon as he saw Jack's eyes roll up in his head, he clamped his hand down on the wounded shoulder so the red and black sand could sink in. Now this wasn't supposed to hurt but he didn't want to leave Jack without causing him a little pain. Now taking his hand off Jack's mouth and shoulder, he then grabbed his arm and pulled him off the sofa. Jack had no idea what was going on but as soon as his skull smacked the floor, he was pulled back into reality and found himself lying on his back with the Boogieman staring down at him. He didn't dare move as any action may result in dire pain. Pitch however, tended that to happen anyway.

He raised his foot and brought it down hard on Jack's rib cage. Jack screame out in pain as he felt a sharp CRACK ring through the air and felt two or three oI his ribs snap like twigs. Pitch was about to do it again but the door burst open and in came Bunny and the others with all weapons out.

Once Bunny saw Jack moaning in pain on the floor, he glared up at the grey man. "What the bloody hell did you do?" he snarled and Pitch smiled as if being considerate in which he wasn't.

"Oh nothing. Just having a little flashback talk. Isn't that right _Frostbite_?" Pitch said and he drawled on the last word in his sentence and before anyone could say anything else, he managed to kick Jack in the ribs again, resulting in more screams from the Frost child.

Tooth then screamed in anger and flew at Pitch but he has disappeared back to his laiakin a swirl of sand before Tooth could even touch him. Being happy with what he just did, he didn't fancy loosing anymore teeth thank you very much!

North scowled but seeing Jack, he dropped his swords and rushed to the boy's side. "Jack, what did he do to you?!" North said, worried for his condition. Tooth and Sandy came beside him too and Tooth started to stroke the top of his head, to try and calm him as he was now shaking. Bunny was still looking around the room for Pitch, in case he was still hiding and wanted to try anything else.

"Ribs... broken... kicked... hurts North... hurts" Jack wheezed before passing out. But while North yelled for the yetis, none of them knew what was implanted in Jack that day. For what was implanted that day, was a seed of evil. A seed that would grow into a heart of good until piercing it and twisting it until there was nothing left.

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**Well I personally thought that this chapter was a reasonable size and contained more of that Pitch is planning. Not sure when this will be updated again but I hope it is okay for the time being. Hey, I have drawn a few things associated with ROTG on deviantart if any of you are interested. The name is Starskulls on there too! Cupcakes and more chapters await if I can get... Eleven reviews? Thanks and bye for now!**

**~Star**


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